The focus of this chapter is on the judgment process that underpins any assessment. Whatever form the assessment takes (grades/numbers/ranks) and for whatever motive it is being pursued (summative, formative, diagnostic, or evaluative), teachers will exercise that judgment process. So how do we make the decision that this piece is worth an A and that piece only a D?
There are some particular challenges when assessing technological capability, and these are shaped both by prevailing policy and by traditions of practice. Both have focused on the coursework portfolio that is essentially a storyline demonstrating learners´ journey through a technological task. The portfolio is a complex artifact and has been the target of considerable research.
In this chapter, I will show how our understanding of the judgment process has interacted with the evolution of policy and with the development of portfolio practice. Interestingly, from positions of great divergence, there emerges a common theme that has the potential to take us forward into a richer future.